The present invention relates to a firearm containing a power storage unit therein, and in particular to a charging system for charging the power storage unit located within the firearm.
Semiautomatic and automatic firearms typically include a bolt assembly that includes things such as a bolt carrier, bolt extractor, ejector, firing pin, etc. Upon firing of the associated firearm, a portion of the expanding gas following a projectile down the barrel is directed back to the bolt assembly, thereby providing the force required to eject a spent shell casing from the firing chamber of the associated firearm and replace the spent cartridge with a new shell. Other firearms such as bolt action and single-shot firearms also generate such force, however, these types of firearms do not utilize direct forces for purposes of unloading and loading.
Numerous kinds of powered scopes are utilized with the modern firearms of today, including infrared scopes, heat-sensing scopes, laser/range finding scopes and xe2x80x9cnight-visionxe2x80x9d scopes. Each of the powered scopes requires that a power source be located within the firearm or carried externally by the user. If these scopes are used for an extended period of time, replacement power units must be provided and/or recharging facilities must be located. Drawbacks to non-rechargeable sources include requiring the operator to carry replacement power sources such as batteries, while rechargeable sources requires the user to find a power source which may not be available.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to develop an electric charging system that utilizes the force generated by the firing of an associated firearm to charge a power storage unit located within the firearm.
One aspect of the present invention is to provide an electric charging system for a firearm that includes a port in operable communication with a chamber adapted to receive an amount of expanding gas created by an ignited charge.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a firearm including a power charging system, the firearm including a bolt assembly and a barrel having an internal bore and operably connected to the bolt assembly. The firearm also includes a port in operable communication with the bore, the bore adapted to receive an amount of expanding gas created by an ignited charge, and a cavity in operable communication with the port and adapted to receive an amount of expanding gas therefrom. The charging system also includes a charging assembly in operable communication with the cavity, wherein the charging assembly creates an electric charge when impinged by the expanding gas located within the cavity, and a conductor in electrical communication with the charging assembly, wherein the conductor receives the electric charge from the charging assembly. The charging system further includes a power storage unit in electrical communication with the conductor, wherein the storage unit stores the electrical charge received from the conductor
Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide an improvement to a firearm that includes a bolt assembly, a barrel in operable communication with the bolt assembly, and having an internal bore, a gas tube in fluid communication with the internal bore of the barrel and the bolt assembly, wherein the gas tube is adapted to receive an amount of expanding gas from the barrel as created by an ignited charge. The improvement includes a port in fluid communication with the internal bore of the barrel and adapted to receive an amount of the expanding gas created by the ignited charge, and a cavity in fluid communication with the port and adapted to receive an amount of the expanding gas therefrom. The improvement also includes a charging assembly in operable communication with the cavity, wherein the charging assembly creates an electric charge when impinged on by the expanding gas located within the cavity, and a power storage unit in electrical communication with the charging assembly and adapted to store the electrical charge created by the charging assembly.
The present inventive charging system provides a standardized power source that may be utilized within numerous weapon systems, eliminates the requirement of the user carrying reserve power sources, eliminates the necessity of replacing expired power sources, and provides a multi-function power supply that is rugged, reliable, and lightweight. The charging system further provides a rechargeable power storage unit that is readily adaptable to existing weapon systems, is applicable to all gas operated, or ported barrel weapons, and is particularly well adapted for the proposed use.
These and other advantages of the invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written specification, claims, and appended drawings.